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Toronto Raptors news, statistics, analysis, podcasts, post-game reports, highlights, and GIFs.Sun, 18 Feb 2018 02:06:34 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.4Looking at potential buyout market targets for the Raptorshttps://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2016/02/19/looking-at-potential-buyout-market-targets-for-the-raptors/
https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2016/02/19/looking-at-potential-buyout-market-targets-for-the-raptors/#commentsFri, 19 Feb 2016 21:00:42 +0000http://www.raptorsrepublic.com/?p=64506The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and the Toronto Raptors opted not to make a move. That decision, the reasoning behind it, and the risk that comes with it have been covered. The Raptors are what they are now, with two important qualifiers: DeMarre Carroll will be back at some point. He’s played just 23 […]

DeMarre Carroll will be back at some point. He’s played just 23 games this season, probably only five of them healthy, and a return to health for the wing stopper more or less has to be assumed – it might not be entirely reasonable to do so, but the Raptors have insulated themselves well enough in the No. 2-spot in the East to bring him along cautiously. If he’s less than 100 percent come playoff time, that changes things for the Raptors a great deal. There’s little reason to think he won’t be, as the Raptors have no incentive to mishandle the situation and rush. Carroll is still a few weeks away, but we should be evaluating the Raptors based on how they’re going to look in late April, and Carroll factors in.

No, this is not a de facto acquisition. Don’t give me that spin. It’s fine, but it ain’t that.

The Raptors can still make a move to improve the roster.

Cutting Anthony Bennett

The second point is the focus here. I’ve maintained for weeks that I believed if the Raptors didn’t make a deadline move, they’d leverage one other opportunity to improve the roster: Cutting Anthony Bennett to clear up a roster spot, and then using that roster spot to sign someone off the buyout market.

That might be a tough public relations decision. To that I offer: Who cares? The Raptors gave the 22-year-old Bennett a shot after he was bought out of the third year of his rookie scale contract, and general manager Masai Ujiri was clear it wasn’t a one-year project. Still, the Raptors didn’t get to tack on additional, low-salary, non-guaranteed years that occasionally come with these fliers, and so there’s little reason to keep Bennett on the books simply from a salary cap or asset management standpoint.

With that chance, Bennett, by all accounts, has worked his tail off to deliver. His play just hasn’t come along, as he doesn’t have the range to be a stretch-four, doesn’t have the requisite skill or shooting to be a three, and the defense the Raptors projected for him hasn’t materialized. He’s only been given small samples to show his stuff, but across 74 NBA minutes and 107 D-League minutes, he’s shown uneven effort and poor shot selection, and has generally played poorly.

This isn’t meant to disparage Bennett. He seems like a hard worker and I was hopeful the experiment would work out. It still might, and that’s why cutting him is an option if Ujiri’s claim about the timeline of the project are earnest. The Raptors could cut Bennett and, once he clears waivers (he would), make him an in-season D-League affiliate player. That would allow the Raptors to continue overseeing his development, it would allow Bennett to stay within an organization for stability and get a great deal of playing time, and it would keep him close to the team for another look in the offseason if his game comes along.

The Raptors would risk losing him to a call-up from another NBA team, but if that happens, good for him. The team has to do what’s best for its 15-man roster and its chances in the playoffs.

Being realistic is important, and realistically, Bennett isn’t going to add anything to this Raptors team the rest of the season. If he couldn’t get minutes when Carroll and James Johnson were both injured, when is he going to get them? It may actually be in the best interests of Bennett, too, and there’s little argument, CBA or talent wise, as to why he should stay. He’s Canadian, sure, but so is Melvin Ejim, a better player at this juncture. I’m Canadian, too.

Weaknesses to target

The Raptors should cut Bennett if a buyout candidate or another signing will help fill one of their holes. There are a few, which is why many were disappointed that the Raptors didn’t make a deadline move. None of the holes are glaring, but they’re there.

3-point defense: This is a tough one to fix with a signing and is more of a system/Carroll issue. The team needs to execute better in that regard, the next step in the largely successful roll-out of their new defensive scheme.

Over-worked stars: This is an in-house fix. Head coach Dwane Casey needs to ween the team off of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan 37-minute nights and empower Delon Wright and Norman Powell to help out in spot minutes. We’re not talking a big role, and Carroll’s return will help, but giving the youngsters a bit of run wouldn’t hurt.

Pick-and-roll defense against stretchier fours: The Raptors struggle with rangy bigs and could struggle with the frontcourt of teams like Detroit, Cleveland, or Miami (if Chris Bosh is healthy). Targeting a defensive-minded four (or three who can slide over) would be great, though it’s going to be difficult to find.

Another option that would help – swapping Patrick Patterson and Luis Scola in the starting lineup. Iv’e banged this drum so much my stick just went through the cover.

Shooting: The Raptors could probably use another 3-point threat off the bench. The spacing has been starved with Carroll out, and Patterson has been up-and-down from long-range all season. It never hurts to have more shooting.

Potential targets

There are a few important things to remember when considering who to grab. Please keep them in mind.

The player has to hit the market. Obviously.

The player has a choice where they go. The Raptors don’t have the cap space to make an actual waiver claim, so if the player clears waivers, the Raptors have to convince him to sign with them over another team, and money will be equal.

Anyone picked up isn’t going to be a panacea. The player is going to fill a roster spot that’s been leaned on for 74 minutes this year, and it’s unlikely they’re even going to play much. You’re not looking for the best overall player, necessarily, but the one who would have the most utility in an 11th-man type role or, worst case, as an injury replacement. Band-aids don’t fix bullet holes.

All of that established, let’s look at some potential signing candidates. These are not in order of my preference. They’re just names, either that crossed my mind or that I was asked on Twitter.

D-League

If nothing materializes on the buyout front, the Raptors could use the roster spot to sign a D-Leaguer to a 10-day contract. This won’t move the needle as much as a buyout grab and is somewhat unlikely except in one case, but there are several names that have more utility than Bennett. It also has the benefit of letting the Raptors get a closer look at a name or two for the purposes of next season.

Teams can sign a player to two 10-day contracts before they’d need to lock them down for the rest of the year.

Ronald Roberts – Raptors 905 All-Star who would bring a great deal of energy, elite rebounding, and solid defense. He’s short for the post but has great length, strength, and hops, and could conceivably man the four or five. He doesn’t bring the shooting the team needs, but he has 18-foot range.

Axel Toupane – It’s probably too early for him, but he’s taken massive strides with the 905 this season. Can guard twos, threes, and smaller fours, and his terrific strength and lateral quickness make him a plus-defender at each spot. He doesn’t shoot well outside of the corners but is a solid attacker, gets to the line well, and is a really creative passer.

Melvin Ejim – Hey, you want a Canadian on the team? He’s a rich man’s version of Bennett and has improved a ton this year.

Dahntay Jones – The 35-year-old veteran wouldn’t have much utility but would provide additional leadership and toughness defending the wing at the end of the bench.

Raphiael Putney – If the team wants rim protection and shooting, Putney is the rare player who can offer both. I’d need a closer look at his pick-and-roll defense to really asses his fit in that regard, but he’s been really impressive overall.

There’s an endless list of potential D-League call-ups.

China

The Chinese basketball season is wrapping up, presenting NBA teams with a few options.

Michael Beasley – Averaging 31.8 points, 13.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 54 percent overall and 37.4 percent on threes. This would be all kinds of awesome, but I’d put the odds at less than zero percent, considering how many opportunities he’s had and his egregious lack of defense.

Dorell Wright – The brother of Delon, he’s a name I was interested in during the offseason. He’s a slender 6-foot-9 but can play a small power forward, and he’s a career 36.5-percent 3-point shooter at the NBA level. One would think the Raptors would have an edge in signing him if they wanted him, but he only offers shooting, as he’s just a decent defender.

I was also asked about Francisco Garcia, but the Puerto Rican season extends into April.

NBA buyout candidates

Here’s the real group of names everyone’s going to want to consider.

Joe Johnson – The dream. It doesn’t sound as if he’s going to get bought out and would almost surely land in Cleveland if he were, but hypothetically, he’d be a solid add as a versatile offensive weapon. His defense isn’t great but he uses his size well enough to man the four, where he can still score on the block. He’s certainly showing his 1,116 games of wear this season but he’s the best name that could conceivably hit the market.

Kevin Martin – He brings scoring from a guard spot and nothing else. The Raptors don’t need scoring, nor do they need depth at the two-guard, their deepest position.

David Lee – Certainly doesn’t help with defense and isn’t a better shooter than Scola, but in terms of overall ability, he could offer something. He’s more of a threat than Scola catching a pass in the pick-and-roll, as he’s a really smart passer, and he’s a quality rebounder and cutter. He’s got a ring, too, if you care about such things.

Keep in mind, though, that Lee is 32 and has played sparingly in back-to-back seasons, and that’s happened for a reason. He also doesn’t fill any of Toronto’s pressing needs – he’d be an addition for the sake of shoring up depth, not one that figured into the rotation.

J.J. Hickson – He’s, umm, not good. He can play the four, sure, but he’s a poor defender, and while his rebounding numbers are strong, his teams have historically and consistently rebounded better on the defensive end without him. He’s a solid dive-man and a decent finisher, things that aren’t pressing needs for the Raptors.

Steve Novak – Sure can shoot. Sure can’t defend. Has appeared in just 42 games since the Raptors dealt him two years ago, hitting 23 threes in that time. Next.

Anderson Varejao – Now 33 years old and coming off of a serious Achilles injury, this isn’t the Varejao of LeBron Era I. He’s managed just 310 minutes on the year, offering little other than defensive rebounding, already a major strength for Toronto. He makes sense as a veteran flier for some teams, but the Raptors already have three centers, and none of them (or Varejao) could play together. It would be a weird use of the roster spot.

Roy Hibbert – The same roster/need points apply as for Varejao, except that Hibbert is still good, at least as a rim protector. He doesn’t score of rebound well for someone his size and the Lakers’ defense remains a mess, but opponents are shooting just 48.5 percent at the rim when he’s contesting and he’s saved the Lakers nearly a point at the rim per-36 minutes, adjusted for position, per Nylon Calculus. Still, there’s no need here, and while he fits the system well, he’d be redundant with Bismack Biyombo present. Hibbert probably also won’t sign anywhere he’s not guaranteed playing time ahead of free agency.

Andrea Bargnani – Look, the Raptors need shooting and they need frontcourt bodies and they need hilarity. Bargnani has a body and would be funny, but he hasn’t been an effective shooter in a long time and this would almost certainly lead to riots in Jurassic Park. I don’t think he’s played his last NBA game, though, as he can still score a little bit inside the arc. This would be dumb, but I’d get a neverending stream of content out of it, so I’m on-board.

A third PG – Some think this is a need, but I’m not of that mind. It’s not necessarily confidence in Delon Wright – I think he’d be fine in spot minutes but isn’t ready for a full backup load yet – but a realism about the Raptors point guard depth. If they need help at the one at some point, that means Lowry’s gone down. In that case, they’re tanked anyway, so I’d rather use the roster spot on a player who could help in the better-case scenario.

I was specifically asked about Tony Wroten and Toure’ Murry. Wroten hasn’t played since the 76ers cut him and you’d need to see how his recovery is coming along in D-League action before thinking about it. He’s great at driving to the rim, but I think he’s more of a flier for a rebuilding team. Murry, meanwhile, is a great defender at either guard spot and has improved his 3-point stroke to where teams can’t drop too far beneath screens against him. He could be a piece for someone but I don’t see the need here.

If the need was deemed to exist, I’d kick the tires on the recently waived Tim Frazier.

Jared Cowen – The Leafs shouldn’t buy him out. He’s trash, but maybe you can recoup some of his value by playing him, then flip him for an 11th-round pick. If not, then buy him out. Because he’s trash.

I was also asked about Reggie Evans (hasn’t played all year, is 35, doesn’t fill a need) and Martell Webster (hasn’t been healthy in years).

Targets

It kind of seems like nobody fits, right? Shocking, really, that players who had no trade value and are now deemed buyout-worthy aren’t moving the needle much. Johnson’s the dream, Lee would be fine, and maybe Wright fits a need. There aren’t defensive-minded fours who can shoot available, sadly.

Still, upgrading Bennett’s roster spot is worthwhile. Bennett’s utility is next to zero right now, and the Raptors could improve their depth slightly without sacrificing Bennett as a long-term project. Right now, Casey only trusts 10 players, maybe 11 if Powell has won him over. That’s fine when rotations shorten in the playoffs, but entering the postseason with a little bit of additional depth would help ease some concern, particularly at the forward spots.

It’s something to keep an eye on between now and March 1, at least.

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]]>I apologize. We’ve been cutting a lot of GIFs this season and I don’t recall Tyler Hansbrough getting one, so I intend to fix that. Here’s the ‘Bro reminding Hickson what time it is. The GIF is below. It’s followed by another video of his early second quarter dominance of the entire Denver population, which included the dunk, a long-range jumper, and a block. Merry Christmas, son.

]]>These types of games are going to be few and far between: a totally winnable game that has nothing to do with the schedule, injuries or a perfect storm situation; the Cavs are just deficient in talent. Being it the first game of the year, and they got the Cavs, Casey and the rest of this lot can continue to build on the good things we saw in the pre-season.

Can’t knock the hustle, as long as they keep playing hard that is. This is the 1st game in a season of opportunities at changing this teams culture, perception and attitude. From the rise of Bargnani, to tight(ish) defensive rotations, to Calderon giving a rest to the clapping hands-defense, things are on the up-and-up. This season wont be defined by wins or losses; it’s all about step one, and that tone will need to be set against the Cavs tonight.

(I’m still stunned that two pre-season games and a handful of interviews with Casey have changed my view of this team for the better)

Match-ups

Point Guard
As bad as Calderon was defensively, there were always guys who made him look like Gary Payton; Ramon Sessions is one of those guys. The guy can’t move laterally (zero pick-and-roll defense), is not much of an athlete, but manages to do most of his offensive damage in the paint. His jumper isn’t great, so Calderon can afford to play off of him a bit, and force him to beat the Raps with a jumper; I can live with that strategy even if he drops 20 in the process. Keeping him off the pick-n-roll, where he can do more damage, is paramount.Edge: Raptors

Shooting Guard
Anthony Parker is still the starter for the Cavs, but they are pretty deep at the 2 (Boobie off the bench). DeMar should have no problem’s whatsoever with anyone the Cavs throw at him. I’m cutting this short, between DeRozan, Barbosa and Butler, the Raptors have the depth and the ability to throw enough different looks at the Cavs to keep them off balance the whole night.Edge: Raptors

Small ForwardOmri Casspi is someone I would have loved the Raptors to pick up in the off-season, and it didn’t cost the Cavs much; JJ Hickson. We could have easily have made a similar offer of Amir Johnson had we known Aaron Gray was in the play fo us. Regardless, he will give James Johnson a hell of a time on the floor. He is a solid rebounder, and makes his jumpers; keeping Johnson out on the perimeter and a step further from swatting his weak-side blocked shots.Edge: Cavs

Power Forward
Don’t know enough about Thompson and Harangody to really give my two cents here, but Jamison will drop his 18pts/7reb tonight, I have no doubt. That said, he will surrender 24pts/8rebs on the other end, take that how you will. The 36 year old will hit a couple annoying off-balance floaters that somehow hit the bottom of the mesh, but will provide little value other than being a mentor for Tristan. I like Bargnani and Davis in the match-up as they both will give a little flavour on the perimeter and in the paint.Edge: Raptors

Center
Varejao has the ability to do nothing the entire game, then grab an offensive rebound and put it back for the win with less than a second left on the clock. I would love to have him play for the Raptors. I think he would be fantastic to lineup with Bargnani in the front court as he can make a lot of hustle plays and win small battles all over the floor. I don’t see this game being won by Cavs at the 5, at best, they draw even with the Raptors centers…that’s just me (Varejao missed most of last season with an injury)Edge: Raptors

The Line

I was stunned to see it, but Vegas has the Cavs as 3.5 point favourites with an over/under of 197. It’s super unlikely that this game will be in the mid-to high 90s, so go with the under. I personally think the Raptors take this by 5 in an ugly win. Of the first 10 games we play this year, 3 of them are winnable (two against the Cavs), while this team probably wont win 30% of their games this year, 3-7 in the early going is doable.

Hopefully league pass broadband works tonight, Arse has the post-game.

The Raptors are 3 games out of last place in the East, and 3 games out of a playoff spot. Say what you want about this lot, but they play hard and give a lot of effort considering the talent level. It’s been quite some time since I’ve been able to watch them lose games and not question their heart.

The Cavs on the other hand have been utterly brutal. They are 1-17 in their last 18 games; they lost 10 in a row, beat the Knicks in overtime then lost 7 in a row heading into tonights game. To say this is a shell of a team is an understatement. That first game against the Heat was one of the most disappointing things I’ve ever watched. Sure, injuries have played a role on this team this season, but they have some talented vets and a couple youngish players; so they should be at least playing with some heart.

The last time these guys played, Sonny Weems had this to say after the game:

We weren’t trying to disrespect them, we weren’t trying to humiliate them or nothing, we did that for our fans. You get 100 points, fans get pizza and that’s every game with us.

Needless to say, that game didn’t go well for the Cavs; tonight shouldn’t be any different.

Injuries

Toronto
Reggie Evans – Out
Peja Stojakovic – Out
Sonny Weems – Day to day
Jose Calderon – Day to day

Cleveland
Anderson Varejao – Day to day
Daniel Gibson – Day to day
Mo Williams – Hurting, but should play

Match-ups

Point Guard
You really can’t ask more from Bayless, a career backup who has shown primo flashes during his short tenure as a Raptor (and starter). His speed and ability to penetrate are better suited to coming off the bench, but he’s filled in admirably for an injured Calderon. Last night against the Bulls, he was a beast making great passes and leading the brigade. He ultimately fell short against Rose, but what else did you expect?

Tonights match-up against Williams and Sessions makes me nervous, since the Cavs 1-2 at the point is one of the better combos in the league. Mo has been battling injuries, but has played very well considering he isn’t the kind of player who excels at creating his own shot. What he doesn’t do well is create high-quality scoring opportunities for his teammates, which Ramon does a better job of. If the Raptors fight through the pick-n-roll, and force these two to go it alone, this game is over. What I don’t want to see is Williams or Sessions coming off a high screen with a few options, which should be doable considering this team is brutal. The down-side to this is that both guards can get hot and drop 20 points.Edge: Cleveland

Shooting Guard
While he didn’t put up the same numbers as the last two games, DeMar, played as well as can be expected with the return of Bargnani to the lineup; in fact, he’s treading the elevated expectation-territory in my books with a weeks worth of great games. I’m hoping that Calderon will meld DeRozan’s and Bargnani’s game’s together more cohesively once he gets back from injury. Triano will need to try something new to ensure both these guys play up to potential at the same time in the same game; I have no bright ideas on how to make this happen though.

Against Parker tonight, I’d like to see DeRozan use his athleticism, get into the lane, and get to the line at least 8 times. Parker wont be able to stop him off the dribble, and the Cavs have nobody to challenge him at the rim.Edge: Toronto

Small Forward
Unless you’re of the opinion that Jamarion Moon and Stephen Graham are legit, the Cavs have nothing at the 3. While I appreciate Linas’ recent resurgence, the guy hasn’t seen a shot he didn’t like. Far too often the offense breaks down with a Kleiza heave that doesn’t fall with enough consistency for my liking. What I love is how he crashes the boards, especially on the offensive glass; makes like for smaller/weaker 3’s that much harder to check him.

I feel that if we keep talking about Julian Wright, that Triano will play him at some point with some degree of consistency. The guy plays good defense, makes decent decisions, and doesn’t play outside of his comfort zone. What else do you want from a bench player? Seriously, play the guy, it can’t get any worse.Edge: Toronto

Power Forward
Antwan Jamison has been enjoying a resurgence of sorts; averaging 23pts 6rebs over the last five games. While Hickson has fallen out of favour with Byron Scott, he seems to have found some motivation coming off the bench. The two are a formidable duo to deal with, and have me concerned, as this is a spot where the Cavs can take advantage if Amir Johnson can’t put up something close to 15pts 10rebs. Amir’s play of late has been good, but not what is needed: 9pts 7rebs over the last 5 games (the two games against Houston and Dallas excluded, he played great there).

To his credit, he has been playing like a champ through some injuries, big minutes and very little help in the paint *cough* Ed Davis *cough*. Aside from that monster 17pt 12reb game against the Mavs, Ed hasn’t been providing a whole lot of what is expected, which makes life for Amir that much tougher. Fortunately, Bargnani is back, and will be pulling the guy who is defending him out of the paint, giving Amir more room to operate.Edge: Cleveland

Center
Bargnani didn’t miss a beat last night after a few games off with injury; it was nice to see him back in action. Varejao is expected to play tonight, returning from injury, but will be fitted with a face mask to protect his broken cheek. Anderson is one of a few centers who has the ability to defend Bargnani all over the floor. With the face injury, he will be less likely to play tough in the block, which is exactly where Bargnani should attack. Where Varejao will hurt Bargnani is on the offensive glass, where his hustle is something Andrea has had problems dealing with in the past. Regardless, Bargnani should own this one.Edge: Toronto

The Line

The gamblers have the Cavs as 1.5 point favourites with an over/under of 204. Since the game is in Cleveland, this is as close to a push as you can possibly get. I’d bet against that personally.

I’ll say it again, the Cavs are 1-17 in their last 18 games, and currently on a 7 game losing streak. After tonight, they play 10 of their next 13 on the road, so they will be looking to steal this one before heading out on a nasty road swing. They’ve had some injuries to boot, but this is a team that is hurting badly inside. The Raptors need to jump all over them from the tip and not let up one inch. Win the first half, and the Cavs will crumble; that’s got to be the plan.

Very little can be gathered about a team based on their pre-season and early season performances. If you remember, the Raptors quite convincingly beat the Cavs on opening night last season, only to finish the month 7-11. That game was impressive until you started to poke at the it a bit with a stick and realize they were on the second night of a back-t0-back where they had already played the Celtics and were integrating Shaq into an already cohesive unit. The Raptors exploited the Bargnani/Shaq matchup, and the rest was history.

The Cavs are fresh off of their opening night game over the Celtics, which raised a few eyebrows, namely mine. They were able to beat the Celtics with JJ Hickson attacking the basket and hitting enough jumpers to keep the defense honest, while Ramon Sessions and Boobie Gibson attacked off the dribble and made some plays (sound like a certain team we just played?). A wins-a-win, and they convincingly took down the Celtics.

A word on the Cavs before going any further…I F*****G hate them; always have since the John “Hot Rod” Williams and Brad Dougherty days against the Bulls (made me happy Craig Ehlo amounted to squat). The team just always bugged me. The fact that they wasted LeBrons youth makes me hate them even more. Real random tangent, but if you’re Pat Riley, and New Orleans calls you up offering you Chris Paul and David West for LeBron, do you take it? Not trying to hate on LeBron, but a Paul/Wade/ Miller/West/Bosh starting lineup is works better in my world. Seriously, I want to know if I’m on crack with this one, hit up the comments with what you think.

So I was planning to do a Q&A with a Cavs blogger, but he shafted me; yea. In case you’re interested, here are the questions I wanted answered:

Byron Scott seems to have maintained this squads defensive philosophy from years past (85.4 points on 39.6% shooting in the pre-season with a 6-2 record). Is defensive intensity going to be the Cavs calling card?

Antawn Jamison seems to be unhappy with his role coming off the bench. Does it make sense to keep him on the books now that everythings changed? Will he get traded this season?

Will the Cavs be buyers with their $16mil TPE from the LeBron S&T?

I’ve always thought that Cavs management wasted LeBron’s youth by not making certain deals (Wally Szcerbiak’s expiring deal for a scorer – Vince Carter maybe; passing on Amare Stoudemire for Antawn Jamison because of the Suns insistance on getting JJ Hickson. I hate asking what could have been…but what could have been?

How does Dan Gilberts reaction in comic sans affect the organizations ability to attract talent in the future?

As a fan of the franchise, what will it be like to go from a 60 win contender, to the bottom of the Eastern Conference in less than a month?

Injury Report

Raptors
Leandro Barbosa – Wrist (day-to-day)

Cavaliers
Mo Williams – Not sure what the problem is, but he missed the Celtics game with it
Anderson Varejao – Attending to his sick father

Match-ups

PG – Jack vs Sessions
Sessions is going to give us headaches like Felton did on Wednesday. Just look at his shot chart against the Celtics (who are a far superior perimeter defenders than the Raptors) almost all his shots are in the paint.

Sure, when he got to the paint he missed an obscene number, but that’s because one of Garnett, Big Baby or Jermaine O’Neal was running at him. The Raptors have no such luxury. Jack needs to keep this kid in front of him, and out of the key. On the defensive side, he needs to make him work and run around. The Cavs are thin (status was injured at time of publishing) without Mo Williams in the lineup, Boobie is their only backup, and he’s easy to go at.Edge: Even

SG – DeRozan vs Parker
To this day, the only Raptor jersey/t-shirt I’ve ever owned was an Anthony Parker one; wearing it right now in fact. The guy is super classy, plays within himself, and is just a good guy. He’s not easy to defend, but when you look at his shot chart against the Celtics, not one shot came in the paint.

With that Knowledge in hand Mr. DeRozan, what are you going to do?

a) Play off him, then challenge his shot
Play him tight and force him into the help defense

I’m going with ‘B’ Bob; it’s quite easy, the guy is 34, doesn’t have the legs he used to have, and if you make him work for his shots, it puts that much more pressure on him to perform defensively. DeRozan is due; if he can get up and down the court a few times quick, he might be able to exploit Parker’s age a bit. However, Parker is crafty, and is playing at a pretty high level at 34, so I don’t put anything past him.Edge: Even

SF – Kleiza vs Moon
One of the things that made me happy last year was watching Moon shoot a jumper he shouldn’t have when we played the Cavs. For all the other great things he did on the court (rebounding and defense), like clockwork, he would ruin every single one of the games I watched when he jacked up a shot, and grinned like an idiot afterwards. Much like Parker, he doesn’t get into the lane much, but when he does, his athleticism helps him finish.

At this point, Kleiza needs to be handling guys like Moon. Nuff said.Edge: Kleiza

PF – Evans vs Hickson
Part II of Evans vs Stoudemire. Evans grabs 16 rebs and Hickson drops 20 pts sound about right to you? I mean, there’s a reason they stupidly didn’t make the Amare trade by including this kid, right? Right? Still, to not make that trade then go out and get an aging Jamison is bloody ridiculous. Frankly, what can you expect when the organization is owned by a guy who writes fierce open letters in comic sans, but I digress. We need the Reggie of the 1st half from the Knicks game where he frustrated Stoudemire and forced him to take contested shots. It wont be easy since Hickson was able to score 21 pts on 11 possession, against a Celtics defense, with most of his points coming in the paint. Yea, it was an impressive performance. Reggie wins on the boards, JJ scores a ton of points, we call it a night.

Edge: Even

C – Bargnani vs Hollins
Our prayers are out to Varejao who’s attending to his sick father. I literally know nothing about Hollins, but I do know he shouldn’t be someone who gives Bargnani a great deal of trouble. Looking a few games worth of shot charts (Boston only below), seems like he tends to play off the left block (or is right right?), he plays off the top block in the shot chart.

Edge: Bargnani

I can’t see the Raptors losing their first two games in a row, at home, to lower end competition. Vegas has the Raptors as 2.5 point favourites, with an over/under of 194. It’s going to be a slower paced game, and it will probably be ugly, but I’ll take an ugly win anyday. Raps by 4.

]]>https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/10/29/gameday-raptors-vs-cavaliers-october-30-2010/feed/75Gameday: Raptors vs Cavaliers – Feb. 26/10https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/02/26/gameday-raptors-vs-cavaliers-feb-2610/
https://www.raptorsrepublic.com/2010/02/26/gameday-raptors-vs-cavaliers-feb-2610/#commentsFri, 26 Feb 2010 15:13:31 +0000http://raptorsrepublic.com/?p=15559Bosh may be out, but the King is at the ACC tonight as the Raptors host the Cavs. Tipoff at 7pm.

Apparently, Bosh’s injury is worse than what Bosh himself suspected, and the team is just being careful with him. There wasn’t a lot of swelling, but he needs more movement. Heading into the stretch run, it is paramount that he is healthy and 100%. If that means sitting out a game against the best team in the league, then I can live with it. The fact of the matter is that even with Bosh, this game would be very challenging, no need to risk further injury.

On Wednesday, Portland forced the Raptors into their style of play: slow pace, keep folks out of the paint, and contest shots. Watching a team execute a plan like that to perfection was very frustrating. To make matters worse, the Raptors played far to loose with the ball, allowing 17 points off of 16 turnovers, not to mention allowing 20 fast break points. What a brutal game to watch, seriously.

Tonight the Raptors host the Cavs, who may have made the biggest splash at the trade deadline by shipping out Ilgauskas (who just got bought out and will be rejoining the Cavs in a couple weeks) for the stretch power foward they have always coveted to play beside LeBron aka Antawn Jamison; all without giving up JJ Hickson. This is a scary team from top to bottom:

This is the third game of the season against the Cavs, and the first with Jamison in the lineup. The season opener saw Bosh and Bargnani have monster games as the Raptors stopped the Cavs dead in their tracks a night after Boston did the same. The second game was a different beast, as Turkoglu registered one of his many no shows. The Cavs didn’t blow the Raptors out of the water, which was positive; but the Raptors were never really a threat to pull out a win.

Tonight has potential to be a rough one, especially if Bosh is out of the lineup again. Rasho has had a pretty solid three game run, but I don’t want to see him start the game. Bargnani is due to break out of his little funk (not really a funk, but with Bosh being out we expected a bit more). The benefit of starting Bargs at center is having Amir start at power forward, which is a better matchup with Jamison.

This front court tandem gives us a mobile, athletic duo that will force Cleveland to think about making adjustments.

You then counter Hickson and Varajeo off the bench with Evans, Rasho and some creative line juggling of Bargnani and Johnson. Whatever happens, Bargnani needs to give us 36 minutes of Dirk-level production or it all falls apart.

Hedo gets LeBron, and this isn’t a Hedo knock, but good luck. I say let him shoot all he wants, but don’t let him penetrate and create for others. At a minimum, if Hedo can be the scoring threat he was against the Blazers, LeBron will have to pay him special attention on defense splitting his focus. Wright has been getting more minutes as of late, and will be called on to provide relief off the bench.

DeRozan’s star has been fading a bit of late. The rook is by all accounts a gym rat who works hard and is hungry to improve, but has been seeing less and less action through the course of the game over the last couple weeks. For some reason, those minutes are going to Belinelli and not Weems, which I have absolutely no answer for. Of the two, Weems has clearly been the better, more consistent performer over the season.

I just want Jack to clothes-line Mo Williams at some point tonight. Mo hasn’t actually done anything for me to not like him, I just don’t. I’m also looking forward to Jamario Moon clanking a couple jumpers that breaks Cleveland’s offensive flow.

With Bosh playing, this would be an interesting game, with the Raptors having enough depth up front to give the Cavs some problems. Without him, I don’t like our chances. As long as we play tough and not fold, the Raptors can give themselves a chance to pull one out. The passing will need to be crisp, the ball needs to be protected, rebounds need to be grabbed and jumpers need to fall. Not so tall an order, huh?

The ACC will probably be dead seeing as the Canadian Mens Olympic hockey team is in the semi’s against Slovakia. Fortunately, we know a bar that is carrying the Raptors game tonight: come join us for Raptor Fan Friday at the Sports Centre Cafe tonight.

RFF UPDATE:

Due to the Men’s Olympic semi-final hockey game coinciding at the same time with tonight’s Raptors game, we are cancelling this week’s RFF game party.

Since this rare Olympic hockey game will naturally have precedent over the Raps game, SCC will be forced to give the AUDIO preference to the Olympic game – which means we will not be able to put on our customary entertaining RFF game party.

We apologies for this sudden announcement. However, RFF will be back next Friday when the Raps take on our hated divisional rival New York K-Nicks.